Vehicle registration plates of Ukraine are identification plates attached in designated places on motor vehicles (except trams and trolleybuses) and trailers, and intended to register vehicles with an authorized body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Today, there are 15 types of license plates in Ukraine. UNN explains which types of license plates exist in Ukraine and what the letters and numbers on them mean.
"Standard" license plates
State registration license plates are issued for all vehicles when they are registered for the first time or re-registered in Ukraine. Service centers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issue both standard elongated state registration plates, which make up the majority on Ukraine's roads, and plates for vehicles with a non-standard mounting space—so-called "American" plates—which are rectangular and closer to a square in shape than standard plates.
Depending on their type, the plates must contain information about administrative and territorial affiliation, the serial number and series, as well as symbols indicating state affiliation.
A "standard license plate" has a white background with black letters and numbers. It is used for all types of automobiles.
White plates may also have green numbers and letters. Such license plates are issued for electric cars that do not have an internal combustion engine.
License plates for taxis and route buses
Buses and taxis registered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs as means of conducting business activities involving the carriage of passengers by road are issued yellow license plates, with the letters and numbers shown in black.
However, yellow plates may also have green letters and numbers. They are issued for taxis and route buses equipped with an electric motor.
Departmental plates
Black plates with white symbols are the standard format for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Military license plates have a standard format:
- four digits;
- a letter;
- an additional digit or index.
The first digits are the internal registration number of the equipment in the military accounting system. The letter series makes it possible to determine the type or purpose of the vehicle.
Letters: А, В, Е, К, Н, Р, С, Т—main combat and transport equipment, including passenger cars, trucks, buses, and tractors; І, М, О, Х—trailers and semi-trailers; А1, А2—vehicles of headquarters and command; А3, А4, А5—communications, medical evacuation, reconnaissance, and special forces equipment.
License plates for vehicles of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine have a white background with black letters and numbers. Until 2020, SBGS vehicles had license plates with a black background and the letter Ю, which specifically denoted the SBGS.
Currently, SBGS license plates have a white background with black letters and numbers. The plate also displays the SBGS emblem in the form of a straight-sided equilateral cross with diverging green ends and yellow stripes. At the center of the emblem is an image of the Sign of the Princely State of Volodymyr the Great in gold (yellow) on a blue field, surrounded by a wreath of yellow oak leaves.
License plates for vehicles of the Operational Rescue Service of Civil Protection (DSNS) have a white background with black letters and numbers, and must also bear the emblem of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
The letters at the beginning of the plate indicate administrative and territorial affiliation, the numbers are the serial number, and the letter Е with the emblem indicates affiliation with the Operational Rescue Service of Civil Protection.
The National Guard of Ukraine uses white plates with black letters and numbers.
The letters at the beginning of the plate indicate administrative and territorial affiliation, the numbers are the serial number, and the letter G with the NGU emblem indicates affiliation with the National Guard.
The Security Service of Ukraine also uses white license plates with black letters and numbers, where the letters at the beginning of the plate indicate administrative and territorial affiliation, the numbers are the serial number, and the letter С with the emblem indicates affiliation with the SBU.
Vehicles of the National Police of Ukraine have license plates with a blue background, with the letters and numbers shown in white.
At the beginning of the plate, there is a digit indicating the code of the administrative-territorial affiliation, followed by the National Police emblem, while the digits indicate the serial number.
It should be noted that, since August 31, three “phantom patrols” have begun operating in Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
The “phantoms” have regular license plates—with a white background and black letters and numbers.
In April this year, Ukraine introduced a new model of diplomatic license plates, which are now olive-colored.
The structure of a diplomatic license plate includes: the first three digits indicate the code of the diplomatic institution (embassy/mission of an international organization), while the next three indicate the vehicle’s individual serial number.
Ukraine introduced new diplomatic license plates08.04.26, 17:21
Red license plates
Temporary license plates, also known as transit plates, are red plastic plates used on vehicles that have not completed the registration process. They have a standard format: 4 digits and 2 letters.
Since 2020, transit plates have been issued only for new vehicles sold through car dealerships or dealers, as well as when deregistering used vehicles for subsequent export abroad.
Under current legislation, the owner of a new car is required to register it within 10 days of purchase. Registration is carried out at a territorial service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, regardless of the owner’s place of residence or place of registration.
If a vehicle is purchased from a commercial organization, the owner may be issued license plates for one-time trips (red in color). They are needed so that the car owner can use the vehicle to visit a service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and register it with the state.
License plates for one-time trips are issued for a period of two months. If the owner has not registered the car within 10 days or the validity period of the red plates has expired, the vehicle should not be used on public roads. Operating an unregistered vehicle may constitute grounds for an administrative fine.
Driving a vehicle that has not been registered or re-registered in accordance with the established procedure is punishable by a fine of 850 hryvnias.
What the letters on license plates mean
The letters on license plates that indicate the region are written in Cyrillic, and only those with Latin equivalents are used. This means that on car license plates you can encounter only the letters А, В, Е, I, К, М, Н, О, Р, С, Т and Х.
The letters on car license plates can also indicate where a person completed the purchase and registration of the vehicle—at a service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or online, for example, through Diia.
If this was done online, they will be issued a license plate with the letters DI and PD, while those who completed the purchase\sale transaction through the electronic account in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system will be issued a plate with the letter combinations ЕD and DC.